Dining will resume in New York on Friday, February 12, two days earlier than expected, Governor Cuomo announced Monday morning as he also revealed plans to reopen Broadway and entertainment venues with rapid testing.
Cuomo announced Jan. 29 that it would allow restaurants to re-seat diners indoors on Valentine’s Day and at 25 percent capacity. The industry fired back, asking why it had to wait so long and why it couldn’t reopen on Friday February 12 to make the most of the long holiday weekend.
Restaurant owners also sued Cuomo and the state, claiming they were unfairly kept closed when other parts of the state and country were able to reopen.
On Monday, Cuomo said the number of COVIDs in the city had finally dropped low enough that dining inside could reopen.
He also unveiled “NY Pops Up” – a summer plan to jumpstart the reopening of the arts.
After that, he’ll start reopening entertainment venues, like Broadway theaters, with testing in place, but he hasn’t given a firm date for that.
He used the Buffalo Bills play-off – where he allowed 7,000 fans to enter a stadium after first performing quick COVID tests – as proof that it worked.
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This is how New Yorkers have been dining in restaurants since Dec. 14, when Cuomo again ended dining inside after allowing it for months because COVID cases were crawling after Thanksgiving.
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New York City has historically had lower test positivity rates than other parts of the state, and Manhattan has the lowest number of any borough.
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“There were 7,000 people and no evidence of an increased spread through contact tracing.
“The stadium was outside but there were 7,000 people and if you can reopen using tests, take the next step,” he said sadly.
Weddings of up to 150 people can also resume in March, provided everyone is tested for COVID first.
The NYC Hospitality Alliance welcomed the news on Monday.
“We congratulate Governor Cuomo for authorizing the resumption of dining in New York on Friday, instead of Sunday, the date originally scheduled.
“This will allow restaurants to generate much-needed Valentine’s weekend income, much of which would have been lost because the holidays fall on a Sunday this year.
“Advanced openness and better health measures are welcome news for the city’s decimated restaurant industry and for lovers,” Executive Director Andrew Rigie told DailyMail.com on Monday.
The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce also welcomed the news.
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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday said restaurants may reopen indoor restaurants early after being criticized by the industry and after restaurant owners file lawsuits.
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Brooklyn restaurants and industry workers survive by a thread, and with COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations dropping in the city, we support Governor Cuomo’s decision to postpone the safe reopening of restaurants highly regulated interiors at 25% occupancy through Valentine’s Day Friday.
“Many Brooklynites will now be able to celebrate the holidays at a restaurant earlier in the weekend, giving small businesses and struggling workers a few days head start to earn a little more money to support themselves.” and to those in their families, ”Randy Peers, Brooklyn President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce told DailyMail.com.
Cuomo allowed indoor dining in all other parts of the state months ago, although New York City’s test positivity rate has historically been low compared to other cities.
In Manhattan, the borough with the most restaurants and bars per square kilometer, it has been lower than anywhere else in the city for months.
His only justification for keeping restaurants closed was that Manhattan has a dense population where infections can spread faster.
But he refused to give data to restaurateurs when they asked. Manhattan’s test positivity rate on Monday was 3.48%. In the Bronx, it was 7%.
Cuomo also unveiled a plan to begin reopening entertainment venues like theaters throughout the summer, with rapid tests in place.
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